


A Cautionary Tale About Holding Baseless Grudges Against Innocent Visitors

by magicpatyesz



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Accidental Plot, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Romance, F/M, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Slow Build, but also accidental end of the world, there is only ONE braincell on this base and siler's using it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicpatyesz/pseuds/magicpatyesz
Summary: She's not jealous, thank you very much. And just because someone's saying it's not a competition, it doesn't at all mean it's true. Like hell Vala would lose to a boy with that damned naiveté in his eyes and his heart on his sleeve.  It really can't be helped that she just can't trust the newcomer, and she's determined to break his charade, because that's what it must be. Oh,  Jonas Quinn won't know what hit him.UPDATES ON HOLD FOR THE MOMENT BUT IT'S DEFINITELY GETTING FINISHED!In which information gathering goes a little sideways, this time around with the flavour of impending doom and messy, messy politics.
Relationships: Vala Mal Doran/Jonas Quinn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 12





	1. In Which Yet Another Alien Appears, And Exactly One Person Is Unhappy About It

**Author's Note:**

> the idea is [samcaarter](https://samcaarter.tumblr.com/)'s, who not only let me use it, but ENABLED me.  
> to everyone who's waiting on _All That Glitters:_ i am so, so sorry.
> 
> but full of adverbs, bad writing and a half-assed plot, you get this gem instead (that i didn't actually plan to become a multi-chaptered monstrosity)! huh? huh??

"Unscheduled offworld activation!" Walter's voice rings through the base. Vala instinctively jerks in the direction of the speaker, seeing as she's standing right under it, previously occupied by fogging the glass on the jell-o display in the canteen. As soon as the initial startlement has worn off, she returns her full attention to those delicious little sundae bowls of transparent jelly. No food should be coloured bright blue or vibrant red, and it amazes her to no end.

Vala often wonders, especially now that she's made the SGC her home, how the alarm doesn't blend into people's everyday routine. Every day, the same hamster wheel (Vala's pretty sure that's the expression), the same hamster wheel of unscheduled, unscheduled, unscheduled offworld activations, the blaring of the damned alarm, the alarm, the alarm. Maybe it's their military training, or something, she reasons, and deeply wishes to ignore this newest unscheduled nightmare, but her newly-earned SG-1 patches practically invite her to check out what's coming out of the gate this time. It's just so... tiresome, having to think it through every time. But there's not much to do about that - the mental gymnastics are done, the alarm is once again decided to be interesting enough, and she is off to the gateroom, leaving all the jell-o wobbling in her wake. Vala supposes that's how the alarm works, that's how everyone else got used to the hamster wheel; eventually, it will occupy its space in your brain, and then finally, she won't have to consciously recognise it.

The airman assigned on canteen duty (Marcus Hastings, not that anyone makes an effort to remember) takes a deep breath of relief, and this time it's not even because Vala Mal Doran, their newest alien addition to the SGC made him all hot and heavy - it's just that there's only so many things you can say about jell-o, and explaining it to someone who hasn't the first idea about it is pure hell.

Not that they don't like Vala around here, you know. She's always very sweet, and even when she's mean she isn't. There's this unanimous agreement throughout the whole base that she somehow makes all their days brighter. It's just... She's so intense. She's so unapologetically alien, so curious of everything. And she's everywhere.

Eh, Marcus rubs the back of his head, that's just how it's supposed to be, right? He got the best posting the Air Force has to offer in this galaxy, and with that come the aliens. It's just so weird seeing someone so bubbly and extroverted also be completely clueless about this world. Probably, Marcus reasons, if he'd been here for more than a couple of years, he'd be used to this kind of thing by now. As it stands, Vala is pretty much his first experience with aliens who're willing to dig deep in your personal history, and no matter how much of an occupational hazard, it still throws him off.

In any case, never has the expression "saved by the bell" been more apt, and he's grateful for being able to go back to his duties for the day, uninterrupted.

What's coming out of the gate is a young man, with his eyes twinkling in a ridiculously open face under his perky, flyaway hair. These are the type of kids Vala would steal the underwear off of, and then prank them for good measure. Would have, would have, because she's reformed, thank you. The man is greeted by the rest of SG-1 - Sam is pulling the stranger into a tight hug as Teal'c gives a rare, wide smile that tells the onlookers that it is a pleasure to look upon this man, this boy, rather. Cameron stands a little off to the side, offering his hand when even Daniel has retreated from the vigorous hand-shaking. The stranger smiles at him, says or asks something, and soon, Cameron too is drawn into that circle of niceties the stranger seems to have cast around himself. There are others comig out of the gate, two more men and a woman, but they receive only the usual diplomatic pleasantries as greeting.

There is something about that man in particular, then, something that Vala hasn't seen extended to visitors, save Master Bra'tac maybe. That doesn't change the fact that that much naiveté on someone's face is something to take advantage of - or something to be wary of, depending on how cunning the person is. After all, Vala's the first to admit that more often than not, she hides behind a silly smile and a whimsical act. Hid, hid, because, you know, she's reformed.

Now though is not the time to descend into the topic of "Ten Ways The SGC Changed My Life" - neither into the thought that she should read fewer trashy magazines - so Vala leans a hand on the back of Walter's chair, ignoring the nervous gulp that escapes the technician.

"Who is that?" She asks Walter, looking at her team still busy with getting all the greetings out of the way.

"That is Jonas Quinn" Walter answers, and Vala can't believe this, but even the technician has a fond smile playing on his face. The man's cheerful aura extends that far? Like hell.

Vala has heard of Jonas Quinn, has even read of him, because information is always the best of bargaining chips in any situation. Of course, she takes her position at the SGC very, very seriously, so she'd read every document and report she could get her hands on - and if that reading has provided her with convenient escape routes and clever blackmail tactics, well, no one has forced her to use them yet, and the heavens know she's not planning to.

(It's a little humbling, being a true and trusted part of something this big, but Vala doesn't do humble, so that thought is shoved to the back of her mind almost immediately. The fact that any blackmail material is likely to remain unused has nothing to do with that humility, thank you very much.)

In any case, as soon as Vala had gotten clearance to, she'd read everything about this team she's now a part of, and that included the reports from around Daniel's ascension and subsequent descent back into humanity. It included reading reports written by Jonas Quinn himself, and she begrudgingly admits that they always had a certain tone of cheerfulness, even despite the overall grim, boring formalities of a military report. It's just... it's safe to say that this is not even close to how she'd imagined this man, and there's a faint ringing in the back of her skull, just like the base's alarm - something that demands conscious attention, something that feels threathening without being able to put a finger on the why and the how.

"Well" she says, not bothering to hide the interest in her tone, "I should introduce myself, shouldn't I?"

She doesn't see the dubious expression on Walter's face as she bounces down the stairs, but that's all right, because it's not Walter she wants the upper hand on.

Jonas Quinn is... not what Vala had expected. The twinkling eyes and boyish smile seem to be genuine, and that's something she can't wrap her head around. No one is that cheery all the time, and it just gives her reason to doubt, to poke and to prod, to find something that she can hold agaisnt his throat when worst comes to worst. She's not willing to trade her newfound security here, and when Jonas Quinn congratulated Vala on her admission to SG-1, something in her roared at the notion that the nice words hid condescension.

She pokes her jell-o, disinterested even though it's red this time, and frowns into the cocoa she bullied the airmen into making. She's worked her way halfway through the base, innocuously asking around about this visitor, and so far she's been met with largely the same answer: the niceness, the cheerfulness, even the damned twinkle in his eyes are not part of some elaborate mask. Apparently that's just the way Jonas Quinn is, and never has Vala seen an act so perfect, bar her own performances of course. Truly the work of a master; she just cannot figure out what the man's angling for, what with him living in another solar system and everything. What does he have here that is worth of a con this elaborate?

"You're sulking" Daniel slides into a chair across from her.

"Am not" Vala replies. "Besides, Daniel, reading people has never been your forte."

Daniel, sadly, doesn't let himself be deterred, and it's likely he knows he's right this time. As much as Vala hates giving him credit for it, he knows her well, and definitely better than the rest of her team. Teal'c would be an exception to that, but the day Teal'c hunts her down for an interverntion will be the day that Vala will be forced to abandon the conviction that she's good at knowing one's character.

"So, what's up?" Daniel's doing the face he does when he hates whatever's happening but powers through anyways, and looking at that scrunched-up expression, Vala feels a surge of genuine affection. She switches tactics.

"Tell me, who is Jonas Quinn?"

Hearing the unheard question, Daniel gives up the information willingly. "Kelowna's reworking their diplomatic treaty with us. He's their most respected emissary to Earth, and I'm sure you've already read all this in a data bank you weren't supposed to have access to."

Vala just smiles, blinding and brilliant. "Oh, come now. The technician gave me access willingly."

"Listen" Daniel's voice is sweet, entirely devoid of the usual edge it has when he and Vala are trading barbs. He's serious now, and for all that her life has always consisted of misdirection, she's found that here on Earth the people lend themselves to genuine emotion. She faces Daniel, and she only hides half of her face behind her mug.

"Listen, it doesn't have to be a competition about who belongs on SG-1 and who doesn't" he tells her, and Vala hates him, hates that he knew the exact thing to say to get to the bottom of what's bothering her, so she pointedly takes her last sip and stands. She takes their care for her very seriously, because that is hard-earned, and because somewhere along the line she's realised this feeling of belonging somewhere is quite enjoyable. That doesn't mean she has to sit and endure these unfounded accusations.

"Well, it's me who's here, isn't it?" She replies, trying for confident and self-assured, and she knows that Daniel isn't convinced. He doesn't follow her when she leaves the canteen, so Vala's willing to count that as a victory.

Siler rubs his temples, and lets out what is very close to an aggravated sigh. It is somehow not at all surprising that Jonas Quinn, who hasn't seen him for over four years, still remembers, still cares enough to ask, but that's the problem, isn't it? He asks, and keeps on asking, and how are your children, and how is your wife, and it's all thank you for asking, thank you for asking, they're fine, they're fine. Siler's never been much of a talker, and especially not with near-strangers, but that's just the thing with Jonas Quinn: he asks, but it's never out of some misguided sense of politeness, and it's never for the sake of small talk. For all intents and purposes, the kid is interested in how Siler has been faring for the last four years, and that is staggering.

He lets out another sigh as he returns to the array he's been working on, prior to Jonas' ambush on him - and really, he must have properly searched the base for him, because there's no way he just happened to pass by the maintenance shaft on Level 22. That is almost endearing, and before he knows it, an incredulous chuckle escapes Siler. He refocuses on the array again, because he really, really doesn't want to spend hours on it if it short-circuits, and tigthens a couple of screws that hold the panel in place.

"Sergeant SIler" a voice sounds behind him, and oh, dear, this day won't be one of his more productive ones.

"Miss Mal Doran?" He turns, desperately wishing to have this over with.

"Tell me, Sergeant, have you seen our... guest recently?"

"If this is about Jonas Quinn, he has just left for the General's office" Siler answers, hoping against all hope that Vala will indeed leave him to his work. One of the wires crackles and pops behind him, almost as a warning, and he decides it is best if he turns his back to the woman instead of to the rampant electricity threathening to cause yet another fire.

Vala, for her part, is fuming as she heads back to the more populated areas of the base - the fact that this... this no-one, this alien managed to get to the people even in the most remote corner of the SGC in under an hour (and the fact that almost everyone had good things to say about him) sets her mouth in a downturned frown. Siler was the last on her list and the most unhelpful so far. Gathering information on this man won't be easy, it seems, and she does what she does best: gears up for the long game and goes to the source directly.

She's not entirely sure what she's trying to gather information for. Vala simply cannot trust that open an approach, she simply cannot trust that Jonas Quinn has all he offers on his sleeves (or however the Tau'ri say it). The matter's only made worse by the fact that apparently every single person in the base is willing to vouch for him, and it's a little staggering how deeply the man has embedded himself in their minds for them to still harbour affection for him. Even Qetesh wasn't that far up in her brain, she huffs, and heads for General Landry's office, all fierce determination and no room for the tiny, tiny voice in the back of her head saying that this visitor is exactly who he says to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> marcus hastings is a minor oc of mine i like to 'hide' around the sgc; he's also in [secret santa](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945548)!


	2. Help: I'm In A Competition I Didn't Know I Entered

The first attempt of the day comes in the morning, when the team is gathered around a table, having a late breakfast after a lengthy meeting with Landry. When Vala gets back to their table (with a tray laden with things that are clearly not breakfast food), Daniel notices the slight frown on her face, but it's gone in an instant as she turns a blinding smile on Jonas, who's joined them just a second ago. Oh, this will not go well.

"Jonas Quinn" she greets, and from the way Mitchell's shoulders tense, it is meant to be threatening. It's not just Daniel's overactive imagination.

"Good morning!" Jonas smiles back, chipper as always. This will not go well at all, because if yesterday's talk is anything to go by, Vala will rip this man to shreds to see him slip up - and likely she won't be convinced that Jonas really does mean well.

Daniel wonders if he should intervene. The woman single-handedly commandeered the Prometheus and conned him about four times in a row, and she wasn't even really trying. There's no telling what might happen if he lets this continue. Then again, Daniel thinks a little smugly, it might get her out of his hair for a while, because a bored Vala is the worst kind of Vala, and that usually crashes down upon him.

"So I understand you were on SG-1?" Vala is asking just as Daniel tunes back in to the conversation. Her accent falls softly on the syllables, and her face is innocent, in the most infuriating way possible.

Jonas nods as he swallows the last bite of his croissant. "For a year, yes. Am I correct that you're an alien as well?" He asks, and while the question is not meant to bite, Vala draws in a sharper breath than necessary.

"I've been around for a while" she says, deceptively sweet, "but there is still so much to see! Earth is just so... interesting, isn't it?" 

It's all to Jonas' credit that he doesn't actually notice the blatant prodding for what it is. 

"Oh! Have you seen the weather channel yet?"

Vala just... blinks. it's rare to see her without a comeback ready, and Daniel gleefully takes pleasure in the fact. Teal'c's face could split in half the way he's grinning, and Sam stifles a few giggles. Mitchell's likely feeling a little out of his depth here, but a quick glance ensures Daniel that he too, is having the time of his life watching Vala try and fail to sink her claws into someone this spectacularly. It probably doesn't bode well for the collective health and safety for the SGC's personnel - Vala is likely to step up her game because while Jonas is blissfully unaware of the fact, he just gave Vala the reason to keep disbelieving him. Something about Jonas' niceness being a well-crafted mask of a master, but in all honesty, Daniel tuned out after the first ten minutes into that rant.

"The... weather channel?" Vala asks, and this is the best thing since the discovery of the stargate.

"An entire channel, dedicated to telling you how the weather is, all over the world!" Jonas elaborates, seemingly unaware of the fact that he's confusing Vala even more.

"I can't believe that's what stuck with you the most" Sam laughs, picking up her napkin to give her hands something to do while she talks.

"I mean, it's incredible" Jonas smiles, and the conversation moves on to milder topics, sparing Vala the impending aneurysm.

Earth is just as he remembers it, Jonas thinks, and for all it's a little bittersweet, he's happy to be back, even for such a short time. He's changed into a pair of non-descript BDUs - they're a little more comfortable than the Kelownan regalia. He's atop his bed, leafing through the main talking points for tomorrow's meeting with the Tau'ri delegate. The finer points of this new treaty have given many headaches to the diplomats on both sides, but it seems that everyone's finally happy with it, so Jonas isn't really working, he's just preparing himself a little better.

They'd had to stop all naquadria mining operations, and while Earth has phased it out from their own constructions, the trade of the mineral was the backbone of the previous treaty between the two worlds. Now, after signing it, the focus will lie on sharing information, technology, and on creating an interstellar alliance, which - although Kelowna's loath to admit it - is desperately needed. There are still some former System Lords out there, and between them, the Lucian Alliance and the Ori, the planet needs stronger, closer allies. Out of the three countries, it's Kelowna spearheading this diplomatic alliance, because while both the Andari Federation and Tirania take active part in their new, global government, Kelowna is the most prominent when it comes to startgate travel. They have their very own SGC member, and everything, Jonas snorts, humourless.

Jonas throws himself back against his pillows, and inhales that base-smell that only this place has in the whole wide universe. It doesn't quite smell like home, not anymore, but it's a very close thing, and he closes his eyes for a minute.

Today was... intense, and it's safe to say it's tired him out. It was good seeing faces he'd left behind so long ago, but there's the bittersweet tinge again, and while he wouldn't change anything about his past years, a tiny, tiny little voice still asks him: what would have happened if you stayed?

There's a fairly logical answer to that, Jonas knows, but the cool, cause-and-effect chain of events isn't what interests him. Would he still live on-base? Would he have gone onto a different SG team, or would he have been stationed at the base?

Well, he snorts, rubbing his eyes before sitting up, I still would have an angry goa'uld on my tail, that's for sure.

Not that Attar, Son of the Morning - one of Ba'als lesser henchmen - has been particularly troublesome. His grudge against Jonas is a little obscure, and by obscure Jonas means that he has no idea why this goa'uld singled him out. He's been constantly harrassing Kelowna about turning Jonas over to him, and while it's certainly comical (after all, two Al'kesh ships are hardly the worst Kelowna has seen) it's still less than ideal.

Yeah, that's part of the reason they need to strengthen the alliance with the Tau'ri. It was a sensible decision, removing Jonas from Kelowna, what with Attar's promise of more ships to come. He's practically as far from his home planet as he could be, and unless Attar has some really creative spies, he'll not find him. The Free Jaffa Nation ever-so-kindly lent them a Ha'tak vessel, and that's been keeping Attar from attacking (no, Jonas isn't laughing, that wasn't meant to be a pun of all things), but that, too, is measly comfort.

A sharp knock on his door breaks his reverie, probably for the better, because thinking about enemies that want to kill you is a surefire way of souring your mood.

When he opens it, it's Vala Mal Doran om the other side, the newest member of SG-1. Jonas can't say he's surprised - aliens seek out other aliens, it seems, especially if they're feeling a little out of their depth about being on the flagship team. Not that Vala looks out of her depth, Jonas thinks, but he can't think of any other reasons for this unexpected visit.

"Can I help you?" He smiles.

"I was thinking" Vala begins, smoothing hair out of her face, "that we could have dinner tonight. You know, it'd be nice to talk to another... alien, for a change" she says, and her voice is soft, and her eyes are open, full of a glimmer that Jonas registers only as friendliness.

Dinner sure sounds nice, and in all honesty, it is appealing to talk to someone in the exact situation Jonas is in, or was in. Looking at this woman, though, is an entirely different thing: Vala looks devious enough that a sort of mental bell goes off in Jonas' head. She's exactly the type of person Jonas Quinn is weak in the knees for: savvy, self-assured, with a wealth of knowledge that Jonas himself will never have access to, what with him being a diplomat and not a con-man. The rest of his own team filled him in on who Vala Mal Doran is, but they sure haven't prepared him for the fact that Vala is also sweet enough and kind enough to make anyone's heart quiver.

"Sure" is all he says, and hopes for the best.

Even if it's "military food", even if it's just tue base's mess hall, dinner sure is nice. Jonas just wishes that he didn't have to remind himself time and again that Vala sought him out for friendly comfort, alien-to-alien, and not for something more... intimate.

Look, Jonas isn't one to read in innuendo where there is none, and as things stand now, there should be none, so he's trying his damn hardest. But there are sidelong looks, there is Vala reaching across the table with the jacket of her BDUs zipped so low that it can't be anything but sultry, there is an overwhelming sense of urgency that Jonas knows well. Still that may just be part of who Vala is, and that's not Jonas' business, so he makes polite conversation throughout it all.

The remainder of his mashed potatoes isn't really interesting or particularly engaging, but it's a safer place to stare at than into Vala's eyes, so that's where he's been focusing most of his attention.

"Mm" Vala is saying, continuing the conversation like there's nothing hanging in the air between them. Because there is nothing, Jonas reminds himself. "What about 'held captive by enemies'?" 

"By a Tok'ra posing as a Goa'uld, but he was usurped by the First Prime, so it turned into actual captivity" Jonas answers, entirely on board with the entire comparing-of-life-threatening-scenarios-on-SG-1. "Near deaths?" He asks. 

"Twice, I think" Vala muses. "I was in the Ori galaxy, but it should still count."

"Oh, it definitely does" Jonas agrees, lifting his eyes to meet Vala's. "How did you get there?" 

"It's all a little blurry, you know. I sacrificed myself to save the Tau'ri from Ori invasion, and the supergate transferred me to their galaxy. That's only the second time, of course" she winks, and Jonas feels the blood rush into his face - not only because that wink must be calculated to unnerve him, but because he's never made sacrifices that big.

He remembers Daniel's sacrifice in excruciating detail, though, and thinking about that always leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Standing idly by, whilst someone that should have no business in his planet's mistakes gives his life to protect them? Shame floods him, and the next time he abandons his mashed potatoes in favour of looking into Vala Mal Doran's eyes, he sees a glint of something that certainly shouldn't be vindication but looks suspiciously so.

The expression is gone in an instant, though. "Oh! What about... host to the goa'uld?"

"I'm afraid I haven't been through that, either" he offers an apologetic smile. The entire conversation is closer to one-upping one another now than anything like a friendly meal, and Jonas doesn't know what to do with the fact, so he bids his partner good night, and goes to return to his papers of boring, boring diplomacy. 

Vala Mal Doran is clearly better suited to life on SG-1 than he ever had been, and it doesn't sting, no, but this, too, is an unspeakably bittersweet feeling.

Other than the fact that there are some unprocessed emotions regarding self-sacrifice, Vala hasn't managed to glean anything from this conversation that she'd hoped for. Jonas Quinn is an excellent dinner partner, a good conversationalist, and he's a gentleman to a fault - Vala's not yet met a man who's been able to resist her calculated charms for too long. Even Daniel succumbed, and while Vala's eternally gleeful to rub it under his nose, she's always been under the assumption that Daniel couldn't have not fallen to her strategy.

Jonas Quinn, though, Jonas Quinn valiantly soldiered through all winks, smiles, hair-twirling and sob stories, only offering up one chink on his armour. Vala files that away for later use, although she knows she wouldn't want to use it against him - the shame he must feel for not having sacrificed himself is the exact emotion that spurred Vala on, what drove her to do it. No matter how shameful that must feel for Jonas, she thinks that that is, at heart, a noble emotion, and using that to root out the man's deepest fears feels like a severely underhanded move.

That doesn't change the fact that she still doesn't have enough information on this man, enigmatic in his presence but with a brilliant smile and the rosiest blush she's seen in a while. For all intents and purposes, Jonas Quinn is a nice man, and while Vala's starting to understand that this is the baseline the man operates on, she still can't shake the feeling that there's more to him, that something is lurking behind all that niceness.

After all, Denya also used her pretty face and her niceness to mask an entire anti-Ori rebellion. What's to say Jonas isn't cunning enough to do that? Plus, while Kelowna is certainly out there, they have never been a major player on the intergalactic scale - and winding their way into Stargate Command through trickery would be a good move to up their importance in the galaxy. It's what Vala would do in their stead, given the givens.

With a thumb-drive in hand, she saunters up to the control room. It's still early in the afternoon, which works in her favour, because Walter will be easier to convince to do this for her than any of the night-shift technicians. Not that what she's doing is forbidden, per se - Teal'c does it all the time! - but Vala wants to mask her true intentions with this, so there'll have to be some misdirection used.

"Walter" she greets. "Could you send this to P6Y-386?"

Walter accepts the thumb drive, plugs it in, helpful as ever. "Family?" He asks.

"My father has been bugging me to repair our relationship" Vala sighs, even rolling her eyes for good measure. While that's technically true - Jacek has been trying to make contact -, Vala has no interest in actually repairing the relationship with the man. Never trust a con-man, and all that. Daddy issues are always the best of bargaining chips, though, and it works wonders this time as well: Walter just chuckles, and sends the coded file to P6Y-386.

Jup and Tenat will probably be able to dredge up some information in exchange for a... leftover bit of Ambrosius' treasure, and Vala expects their answer by the morning, maybe even by the night's over.

"Thank you" she beams at Walter, and bounces down the stairs.

"Unscheduled off-world activation" goes the alarm, and there's that damned hamster wheel again, and thank heavens that Vala is only a corridor away, otherwise she's sure she would ignore it. It's past twenty-three-hundred, whatever problems other planets have with the Tau'ri, they surely can schedule that for acceptable hours of the day.

"It's a voice transmission" the gate tech is informing Sam just as Vala gets to the control room. Sam nods to turn it up.

"We know the Tau'ri is harbouring Jonas Quinn. Surrender him now, or face the consequences" comes the booming voice out of the stargate.

Uh-oh, Vala thinks.

"Uh-oh," Jonas says, deep in the belly of the base, sundae all but forgotten in his hands, earning a long, hard look from Airman Hastings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> attar is an actual deity of early canaanite beliefs, with multiple aspects and even genders in each culture, so i'd decided to base this random goa'uld on a male interpretation of them. i don't claim to have put huge research behind it, so you get the Lite™ version of the otherwise incredibly multi-faceted ancient deity.


	3. To Hide From Others, You Have To Make Sure Siler Didn't See You

"We know the Tau'ri is harbouring Jonas Quinn. Surrender him now, or face the consequences."

"There is a data-stream attached" the technician points out, and Sam turns a chair to sit and examine the communique.

"Get Teal'c and Jonas in here" she orders, not turning her eyes away from the screen. Sam has... a working knowledge of goa'uld (certainly deeper than "kree!"), but that's mostly the spoken language, and although both her and Jacob (and Sel'mak) tried their best, the hieroglyphs never really stuck. Still, she's able to puzzle out Jonas' name from among a couple of threatening formulas, and that - while hardly more than what the voice transmission included - can mean only one thing: there is a probably very pissed goa'uld out there, with a grudge against one of their own. "And someone phone Daniel" she adds - hopefully he's not yet asleep.

"What's going on?" Cam arrives down the stairs with a loud clang, laying a hand on the back of Sam's chair.

"We're not sure yet" Sam says. "It's a transmission from the goa'uld, threatening with consequences" she draws air quotation marks, "if we don't surrender Jonas to them."

"Just... 'the' goa'uld?" Cam draws his eyebrows together. Sam hitches up a shoulder at that - her knowledge of the language doesn't go as far as to decipher things she doesn't already recognise.

"Attar?" Vala's disgusted huff breaks their coversation, and the two colonels turn towards the other woman.

"Attar?" Sam asks her, in hopes that Vala will elaborate.

"Oh, just a minor goa'uld with a horrible penchant for megalomania" Vala frowns, clearly trying to aim for a bagatelle tone. "He was troublesome at best, but never awfully threatening" she makes a face.

"But what does he want?" Sam asks, because that's really one of the more important questions here, and Vala's likely to ignore it entirely in her disgust of this Attar.

Vala leans closer to the screen. "I am Attar, mighty god, the Son of the Morning, blah-blah, you are nothing to me, blah-blah-blah, surrender Jonas Quinn to me, and I shall grace you with my mercy.... oh."

"Oh?" Sam prompts, but Vala's a little shocked to have heard.

"If you do not comply" Teal'c continues over Sam's other shoulder, "I shall rain fire upon you, for I have two Ha'tak vessels en route to Tau'ri."

Oh, indeed. This is not good at all, and Sam allows herself the luxury of burying her head in her palms for a moment before going to inform the General about this. Oh, Landry's going to love it!

"How... how do you know him?" Jonas asks, and his voice is so quiet that Sam's heart very nearly breaks. She can imagine how he must feel, and she can't say that she'd wish this upon anyone, but especially not Jonas.

"You know, just the usual. Galactic domination this, making me his queen that... I never could stomach him, and on that at least, Qetesh and I agreed" Vala shrugs. "The General won't be happy" she says, pushing the words through her teeth.

"How do you" Mitchell emphasises, "know him?" He looks at Jonas then, long and hard, made a little more imposing by his crossed arms. Sam shifts her chair a little, just to jostle Cam with a wheel of it - she understands where the question comes from, and it's sensible, but against Jonas, the distrust is unfounded.

Jonas snorts, but there's no humour in it. "To be honest, I don't" he rubs the back of his head. "I know of him, but that's about as far as it goes" he adds.

There is a muscle popping on Cam's jaw. "Any idea why he's got a grudge?" His accent is more prominent than normal, too, and that usually means that he's getting more frustrated by the minute.

"I'm afraid I don't, no" Jonas offers up an apologetic smile.

Sam straightens as she spots General Landry coming their way with a grim look on his face, and the others turn to face the General, halfway down the steps to the control room. "How long?" He asks.

"Well, Sir" Sam swallows, "we probably have a day at most before those ships get here. Our long-range sensors haven't picked anything up yet."

Landry sighs, looking a little bemused. It's just another day at the SGC, Sam supposes, and really, to think that diplomatic talks of all things would go well was a little naive. Those are always the worst - one just has to look at the disaster that was the peace talks about the Asgard treary a couple of years back.

The General takes another step down the stairs. "Contact the Odyssey, they should be close enough to arrive before this Attar does" he orders. "And get someone down to McMurdo to sit in that damn chair!" 

Sam's never been particularly good at reading people, but the way those eyebrows are dancing is indicator enough of the anger that they'll likely be faced with as soon the briefing room's doors close on them. It doesn't have to be aimed at SG-1 to be scary, you know. Landry doesn't have to specify that they should follow - he simply goes back up the stairs, muttering about something that suspiciously sounds like a tirade about the lack of an elevator around here.

Cam gives Sam a long-suffering glance, and heads back up the stairs with even louder clangs to go and bear the General's wrath. Sam can't say she isn't grateful that she doesn't have to be the first through the door for that.

"Anyone care to tell me" Landry begins, as soon as the full alien delegation arrives to the briefing room, "why Kelowna has decided to send an envoy to Earth with his very own goa'uld on his tail?" His eyebrows raise and fall with the tone of his voice, and that lends his face a sort of grandfatherly patience. His voice is the farthest thing from patient, though, and Vala sinks a little deeper into her chair.

The Kelownan delegation looks equally as uncomfortable as she feels, and they squirm a little behind Jonas Quinn.

"Sir, while we've heard of Attar - he's even contacted Kelowna years ago - we had no way of knowing that he would... resurface" Jonas answers. His face is pale and drawn, so different from the man Vala had dinner with just a couple of hours ago. "I have... frankly, I have no idea why he's singled me out" he adds.

Lies, lies and misdirection, it must be, because if Tenat and Jup felt that this information was worth enough to sell, that must mean Attar has a bounty on Jonas Quinn's head. There's no way the Kelownans don't know that. Still, Vala stays silent, because she has her own actions to apologise for - no doubt the base will look into breaches, as soon as this meeting is over, and it'll be better if they learn it from her that it's her fault. She feels a pang of regret, looking at Jonas' face, because the man looks truly miserable about setting off a goa'uld attack on what is probably his second favourite planet. The boyish cheer, the twinkle in his eyes is gone, replaced by a deep-seated worry, and Vala regrets her lack of trust in him. If Jonas Quinn came to betray Earth, he wouldn't look like he's about seven kinds of constipated about Attar's threat. No-one's that good an actor, not even Vala herself.

"Who on your planet knows that you were part of the delegation?" Mitchell asks, still a little standoffish, and Vala wants to laugh and tell him that he's directing it at the wrong person, that their leak is sitting right here. Now that she thinks of it, this is very close to full-blown hysteria, and she forces herself to take a deep breath.

"No-one" Jonas supplies. "Just the First Minister and us three. There aren't even records of the diplomatic party's make-up."

That's... a lot of secrecy for a simple diplomatic mission, Vala grimaces. 

Landry sighs, closing her eyes for a moment. "Thank you for your cooperation" he tells the Kelownan delegate, and Vala's never heard that rude a thank you, even when hers are definitely in the running. The three aliens nod, almost like the General's anger is a hundred percent just, and leave the briefing room, one by one. Jonas shoots a lingering look to SG-1; he's the last one out the door, and there's that pesky regret again in Vala's chest, because there is something suspiciously like heartbreak on that pretty face.

"I want to know about every outgoing transmission since they've set foot on the base" Landry tells SG-1, and marches back into his office without properly dismissing them.

"General" she stands, eyes squeezed shut, and it takes a breath or two of courage to open them. "General, I... sent a transmission to P6Y-386, asking for... information on Jonas Quinn."

Landry, when Vala opens her eyes, is quite literally speechless, halfway into his office, hand on the door handle - the expression on his face would be the best thing if it was under merrier circumstances. Finally, he throws his hands up, and turns back around towards his office. "Get me that transmission!" The door slams.

The sound is unbearably sharp, and Vala cannot do it again, cannot admit to practically selling them out again, can't even believe she's done it, done it to her teammates, to her closest friends, and she's out of the briefing room without having heard Daniel's worried tone or having seen Sam reach for her shoulder. They're not angry, they're not angry, but Vala is long gone, headed for the deepest, darkest corner of the base without ever knowing that.

"I know it was you" Jonas says to a row of empty shower stalls.

After a beat of silence, there comes a truly indignant huff. "If you're that desperate for it, you could try the other changing room that's not out of order."

Jonas smiles, despite everything, and heads deeper into the showers, shrouded in long shadows cast by the maintenance lighting. He settles in the stall just next to the one Vala's probably crouched in, and tips his head back against the cool tiles. The smell of chlorine is almost unbearable - too much like hospitals and unheard thank yous - but the underlying smell of an unhealthy sewer system is enough to take his mind off it. Vala, it seems, has a penchant for making the most out of miserable situations.

"The rest of SG-1 is very worried about you" he says, as softly as possible. Vala only sniffles in reply, so Jonas tries another angle.

"Attar has two Al'kesh stationed in orbit around Langara, just above Kelowna" he says.

A sniff. "Look who's lying to the General now" Vala says, and it is clearly meant to bite, but the teary voice severely undercuts her intent.

"I don't want to be in a position again where I will have to betray my country" Jonas says. He's loyal to Kelowna, and he's loyal to Earth, and it's a damn fine line to walk in this situation. "The official talking point is that we've never heard of him. But it's true that I have no idea what he wants with me."

"Why are you telling me this?" Vala asks, and Jonas has to rein in a tired laugh, because she's crawled forward to pop her head over the thin wall separating their two stalls, and the awkward posture results in a little strain in her voice. Jonas looks her straight in the eyes instead, waits for her to settle cross-legged in the stall across from him.

"Because I know why you sent that communique."

It's exactly what Jonas would've done, if he was in Vala's shoes. He would've kept pushing, against everyone's better judgements, because if there was a sneaking suspicion that he couldn't put his finger on, he wouldn't've slept until he found its source. It had happened quite a few times when he was a member of SG-1, and more times than he can count in the past few years. Yeah, he would have kept pushing, and when all local sources dried up, he would've gone further, had he Vala's resources. That sneaking suspicion could mean death to his precious people, something that he can't allow happening, and Jonas recognises that it's the same way for Vala.

"You did it because they love you" he says when Vala doesn't reply, "and because you love them."

"Who are you" she accuses, tears welling in her eyes, voice cracking, "who are you to claim that?" She's yelling, and the empty shower stalls amplify it to sharp echoes. Jonas simply looks at her, beautiful even with teary streaks down her cheeks.

"It's the same way for me" he shrugs. "If something happened to, say, Sam, just because I didn't trust a gut feeling and stood idly by... Well, I'm not sure I could sleep after that." He doesn't say that even after four years, he still can't sleep sometimes, not after what had happened with Daniel.

This is not the time for that, but he hopes that Vala knows the implied meaning. She must have read everything available about him (and the clearance she has as a member of SG-1 is no small thing, but her cunning certainly reaches further); she must know what he means, she must understand that Jonas knows this feeling acutely.

"Oh, come now" she sniffles, wiping her cheeks on the cuffs of her BDUs. "Daniel's fine. He's even learnt a new language."

A chuckle escapes Jonas before he can catch it, and he raises a hand to stifle the rest of his surprised laughter.

"Why are you trusting me with this?" Vala asks him.

Jonas feels his face settle back to a more serious expression. "You know, I want you to trust me" he answers. "Come on" he staggers upright, holding out a hand for Vala. She takes it, and like it's the most natural thing, she loops her arm through Jonas' to leave the changing room.

"I'll keep your secret if you keep mine" she says, halting a step away from the door. "But I have another question for you."

Jonas lifts his chin, prompting.

"How did you know I was here?"

Jonas gives her a long look, debating whether to give up his source or not. The dim lighting reflects off Vala's face, highlights that truly curious expression, lends a glint to dark eyes, and all Jonas can do is to duck his head, let go of Vala's arm, and to give a name in cowardly, cowardly surrender.

"Siler" he says, he even shrugs to make it more nonchalant, and steps out onto the corridor, into the unforgiving lighting to shatter the moment, hoping against all hope that Vala somehow missed that breathless sort of anticipation that still has Jonas' stomach in knots.

"Oh, Siler" she sighs, grinning a little.

"If you wanted to--" Jonas begins, not knowing whether the question will end up as an invitation or not. Thankfully, Vala cuts him off before he can make a fool of himself.

"I still don't like you" she says, and she's gone, disappearing down the corridor, smoothing black hair out of her face, all before Jonas can catch his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not super happy with this, but i'm itching to post the next chapter + don't know what else to do with this one.  
> who wants to bet that saying 'spent a lovely time in a shower stall with jonas quinn' will be vala's favourite pastime for at least the next week?


	4. Someone's In Need of A Good Meditation Session, And Spoiler: It's Teal'c

The next morning starts as a usual one does at the SGC: hectic and rushed. This time, however, there is a distinct sense of worry that Teal'c feels just as acutely as it is displayed on his teammates' faces.

They are currently huddled around a computer in Samantha Carter's lab, analysing the note Vala has sent out there.

"This is Lucian Alliance code" Daniel muses, "but it's an old one. Based on their recently intercepted communications, this one hasn't been in use in years."

Teal'c hums, tilts his head. He trusts his teammates, and that includes Vala Mal Doran. He knows the rest of them feel the same way, and there is going to be no finger-pointing of any kind if the evidence isn't a hundred percent convincing.

"Why would she use old code?" Colonel Mitchell asks, and while the question feels redundant, there is hope in his voice - likely, he is waiting for an answer he is too afraid to hope for.

"Well, she must not know the newer ones" Samantha Carter says, laying her elbow across Daniel Jackson's shoulder to lean in, look at the communique a last time. "And there isn't anything else in here. It's just plain text, and albeit it's in code, it just says that any information on Jonas will be rewarded" she looks up. "That's... not even a breach of security."

Teal'c tilts his head. "Indeed" he says. "Even my correspondence with Ishta is more... detailed."

Teal'c is entirely too pleased with the effect that that has on his teammates, and he knows that if O'Neill were here, he would be beside himself at the joke. As it stands, Daniel Jackson clears his throat to clear up the awkward tension. (Now that he thinks of it, Teal'c probably should not base his sense of humour on O'Neill's, eternally geared towards making others uncomfortable for his own amusement's sake.)

"How did Attar figure it out, then?" Daniel moves them back onto topic.

"Oh, I have a feeling I know who Vala sent that to" Colonel Mitchell leans his weight against the edge of the table, sinks his hands into his pockets. "But Tenat and Jup aren't smart enough to put that together, not even if they pool their resources" he drawls.

"Right" Daniel looks back at the screen.

"They are if there's an open bounty on Jonas Quinn's head" Vala's quiet voice comes from the doorway. She does not ask if she can come in, and they don't invite her in - their bond goes deeper than that, and she takes the last free stool next to Teal'c without questions or prompting.

"Welcome back, Vala Mal Doran" he murmurs, even lets a small smile onto his face, and she offers up a blinding, true smile in return. All is well.

"A bounty?" Colonel Mitchell's voice is incredulous, more so than it has been throughout this all. A bounty on Jonas Quinn's head is indeed an unlikely cause.

"Kelowna - or Langara, or whatever they call it - isn't exactly a hub of the galaxy" Vala Mal Doran grimaces. "If Jonas crossed Attar, then went back to Kelowna for years, then Attar's best bet at finding him would be to start a manhunt. With the new world order, though" she winks at Teal'c, who feels a pleased smile spreading on his face, "he doesn't exactly have a wealth of Jaffa at his disposal. So, bounty it is. And Kelowna would have no idea, because, you know. Not exactly buzzing centre to the Milky Way." 

"That's surprisingly straightforward" Daniel Jackson says. Vala just beams in return.

It is a little too straightforward, in Teal'c's opinion. If Attar truly knows enough to contact Earth about Vala Mal Doran's information, then he had to have known of Jonas Quinn's Kelownan origins as well. Teal'c suspects that it is politics - both intra- and interplanetary - inhibiting Jonas Quinn from saying as much, although he cannot fathom why Vala would not make mention of that.

Perhaps she's found that capitalising on Jonas Quinn's minor insincerity to regain the trust she perceived as lost would be a dishonourable tactic. Pride surges in Teal'c's chest, and he hums thoughtfully.

"There's just two things, then. We gotta do something about the impending end of the world" Colonel Mitchell jerks a thumb upwards, probably to indicate the looming Ha'tak vessels closing in, "and I think you owe someone an apology." The look he gives Vala is very serious, and she takes it as such, Teal'c can see it in her face. But the answer that comes out of her, well... it is safe to say that Vala Mal Doran is firmly back to her normal self.

"Oh, don't worry, Cameron, we had a long talk in the showers last night" she winks, and the expression that that puts onto the others' faces is 'totally worth it', to use a Tau'ri expression.

"I" Daniel Jackson pinches the bridge of his nose, "most emphatically do not want to know."

In all honesty, Teal'c does, but he has dignity, and is certainly above the gossipy nature that would prompt him to ask, so he simply levels an inquiring eyebrow at Vala. She gives him a knowing smile, and that is answer enough - he trusts that the matter was settled without the use of... feminine viles. He is proud.

The day was long, filled with meetings and preparations, angry voices crackling out of the red telephone, and everyone is feeling the pent-up anxiety that is natural when faced with such a threat. The Odyssey is en route, the President is justifiably furious, and the Generals Hammond and O'Neill are considering emptying the entire arsenal of Homeworld Security. In all, the Tau'ri are not ill-prepared, and Teal'c does not have to convince himself that this situation will be handled well.

Nevertheless, Teal'c is tired, exhausted in mind and sore in body, and it is with a relieved breath that he closes his door of his on-base quarters.

He settles in the middle of the room, on a lush, handwoven rug from Dakara, having lit every candle in preparation for a lengthy meditation. He needs to re-center himself, and although he cannot go as deep as he used to be able to with Kelno'reem, he doesn't mind. He is as human as is possible for his species, and he relishes in the sensation of silence in his head-space instead of jumbled, half-formed goa'uld emotions.

Just as he takes the first calming breath, there is a knock on his door.

"Come in" he calls, chasing away the self-pity with another deep breath. There will be time for meditation, he knows, and this visitor is nothing but a mild interlude in the course of his day.

It is Jonas Quinn, looking equally as tired as Teal'c feels, with deep lines that only worry can cut on his face.

"Oh, I'm bothering you" is all he says despite the turmoil in his expression, and backs out of the room, pulling the door closed.

"Take a seat, Jonas Quinn" Teal'c gestures towards the other end of the soft rug.

"Thanks" Jonas settles across from him with a relieved sigh, popping his back with a strech. "Do you mind?" He asks, pulling out a banana from a pocket Teal'c did not realise existed.

He simply shakes his head, smiling at the other alien, and Jonas opens the fruit with a happy little smile on his worn face.

"What is it, Jonas Quinn?" He asks.

"Mm" Jonas starts, swallowing a bite. "I'm worried about Vala" he says. 

"Vala Mal Doran?" Teal'c asks, surprised, because while Vala had clearly forged some agreement between the two of them, for Jonas to be worried...

"Yeah" Jonas folds the banana peel, sets it on his thigh. "You guys weren't too hard on her, right?" He asks around the last mouthful.

Teal'c smiles. "Worry not, Jonas Quinn. Her transmission wasn't at all threatening to our security."

It is very close to endearing, the way Jonas cares and keeps caring about everyone around him. "Why do you ask?"

"You know, she's... a little whimsical, sure, but she's so fragile and so brilliant at the same time and... I just can't imagine what it would to to her if she had to leave this place." Jonas answers with a faraway look in his eyes.

Teal'c reins in a groan because of the aforementioned dignity, and leans back on his palms to better observe the expression on Jonas Quinn's face.

"You care for her" he deduces.

"Of course I care for her, she's a member of the--" 

"That is not what I mean, Jonas Quinn."

"Well, yeah. You're right" Jonas sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "She's... refreshingly honest and there is so much to her, and she's so afraid of ruining what she has here, and she still tries so fiercely to protect you guys that I just" he trails off, looking just about as helpless as Teal'c feels, faced with this barrage of emotion.

"You are right" Teal'c answers, "and I can assure you that we cherish her care for us."

"Good, good" Jonas nods, his face comically serious. "Do you think I should--" 

"If you are here for advice on the matters of the heart, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you" Teal'c closes the subject firmly, in part because that is true, and in part because that is really not one of the main points of focus in the midst of looming extermination.

"Right" Jonas rubs his palms on his knees, collects the banana peel. "Well good--good night to you" he offers a smile, and leaves Teal'c to his meditation.

Teal'c, for his part, takes a deep breath again to calm the almost-bubbly feeling in his chest - if he thinks about it, that would be a horrendous match, but also possibly a brilliant one. He's not one to play matchmaker, and he really, really does not want to be involved in this for fear of the fallout, but it is a fairly entertaining notion. He cannot wait to tell Ishta about this, because she will be exactly as horrified and gleeful that he is.

Just as Teal'c closes his eyes again to properly refocus on meditation, the unmistakable sound of an Asgard beam breaks his concentration.

The flash of light through the cracks around the door is unmissable, too, and if Teal'c has learnt anything at the SGC, it is that occurrences like this are usually not benign. A moment later the base's alarm goes off, and Sergeant Harriman's voice rings through the corridors.

"SG-1 to the control room, SG-1 to the control room, please!"

Teal'c blows out his candles with an emotion that is very close to frustration - it is not, because in the face of the inevitable, frustration is pointless - and obliges.


End file.
